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L. K. FULLER. REGULATOR FOR ORGANS HAVING ELECTRICAL AIR PUMPS. No.601,318.

Patented Mar. 29, 1898.

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LEVI K. FULLER, OF BRATTLEBOROUGII, VERMONT, ASSIGNOR TO THE ESTEY ORGANCOMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

REGULATOR FOR ORGANS HAVENG ELECTRICAL AIR-PUMPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 601,318, dated March29, 1898.

Application filed July 20, 1895. Serial No. 556,553. (No model) To (tZZwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEVI K. FULLER, of Brattleborough, in the county ofWVindham and State of Vermont, have invented certain new and'usefulImprovements in Regulators for Organs Having Electrical Air-Pumps, ofwhich the following is a specification.

Heretofore organs, both reed and pipe, have been operated to producemusic by an airforcing pump consisting of a rotary fanblower the fan ofwhich has been driven by direct connection with an electric motor, andreed-organs have been operated by an exhaust or suction pump wherein anexhausting fanblower has been driven by direct connection with anelectric motor. In such cases the wind-conductor, in which thefan-blower is located, has been connected with the windchest or pressureor vacuum air-chamber of the organ.

Ihe object of the present invention is to control, at the will of theorganist, the volume of the air-current created by the fan-blowerbetween the air-chamber of the organ and the mouth of the wind-conductorin which the fan-blower is located, in order that the aircurrent may beproperly regulated in accordance with the varying musical requirementsof the organ and also in order that the consumption of electrical powermaybe proportioned to the volume of tone actually produced.

In order that the present improvements may be clearly understood, theywill be described as applied to an air-eXhausting reedorgan.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate such an application ofthe invention, Figure 1 is a side view of so much of the interiormechanism of a reed-organ as is necessary to show the relation of theimprovements to the organ. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the portionof the air-chamber shown in' Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view of theoperating mechanism.

A is the air or vacuum chamber of a reedorgan, and B is the usualmechanical exhaustbellows communicating therewith, and which is adapted,as usual, to be operated by footpedals or a hand lever or crank, so thatthe organ can be played upon in case of the fail ure of the electriccurrent. This bellows also may be driven by a water or steam motor as asupplementary or emergency motor.

O is the exhaust-fan, which may be of any desired or known construction,such as the wellknown Sturtevant fan, and D is the electric motoroperating the same, the fan being located on the armature-shaft thereof.The electrical conductors a b to and from the motor are shown, and thecurrent is switched on and off by a suitable switch or rheostat locatedat any suitable or convenient point.

E is the wind-conductor, which extends from the air-chamber A. of theorgan to the external air and in which the fan 0 is 10- cated-that is tosay, the fan-casing is to be regarded as a portion of thewind-conductor, and hence the fan is located in the air-passage formedby this wind-conductor. In case the fan is an exhaust-fan the suctionside of the fan is toward the air-chamber A and the fan dischargesthrough the mouth of the said conductor into the external air.

Between the fan and the air-chamber, and preferably at the juncturebetween the conductor E and the air-chamber, is a regulating-valve orregulator F, which is preferably arranged to slide across the conductorso as to vary the area of the same and consequently to determine thevolume of the aircurrent through the said conductor E. This regulator Fis operated by suitable intervening connections from a handle G, located011 the organ within convenient reach of the organist. A convenientlocation for this handle is in front of and at one side of the usualkeyboard projection. As shown in the drawings, the handle is the end ofa crank-arm II, carried on a rock-shaft I. The rock-shaft has a secondcrank-arm J, connected by a pitman K with the crank-arm L on a secondrockshaft M, and said second rock-shaft has a second crank-arm N,connected by a link 0 with the regulator F. Consequently by moving thehandle G the regulator is moved to open and close the air-passage fromthe airchamber to the fan. At one extreme position of the handle G (itsoff position) the regulator completely closes the air-passage, and atthe other extreme position of the handle G (its on position) theair-passage is fully open. These positions of the handle are indicatedby appropriate designations on the organ-case. At the intermediatepositions of the handle G the regulator contracts the airpassage more orless.

In using the present improvements the electric current to the motor isalways turned 011 to drive the motor at its maximum speed, and theregulation is entirely controlled by the mechanical regulator F. Bysimply moving the regulator the volume of the air-current is regulatedto meet the musical requirements of the organ, and at the same time themotor regulates itself automatically and correspondingly. The movementofthe regulator governs the load upon the motor, and consequently theconsumption of electrical energy by the motor is proportional to thework done.

While preferably the regulator F is located in the wind-conductorbetween the fan-blower and the air-chamber of the organ, such positionis not necessary, since the regulator can be located in thewind-conductor between the fan and the mouth of the wind-conductor. Inany case, however, the regulator is located in the wind-conductor so asto vary the Volumetric capacity of the air-passage which is controlledby the fan.

Ileretofore, as far as I am aware, where electric air-pumps orfan-blowers have been employed for organs the regulation of the electricmotor to meet the musical requirements has been effected by varying thesup ply of the current to the motor, either by introd ucing varyingresistances in to the circuit or by varying the number of battery-cellsemployed. Such regulating appliances are expensive, intricate, andfrequently result in burning out the armature of the motor or otherwiseinjuring the same. All such 0bjections are overcome by myimprovement, bymeans of which the regulation of the volume of air to meet the musicalrequirements of the organ at the same time varies correspondingly theload upon the motor and hence automatically its consumption ofelectrical energy.

It may be here remarked that no claim is made, broadly, to regulatingthe consumption of current in an electric motor by varying the load,since it is a well-known electrical fact that the load automaticallyregulates the current required to drive the motor. The essence of mypresent invention in this respect resides in combining a mechanicalregulator controlled by the organist at will with an electrically-drivenair-pump and the air-chamber of an organ by interposing the regulatorbetween the air-chamber and the mouth of the wind-conductor, in whichtheair-pump is located, and thereby regulating the volumetric capacity ofthe air-passage through said wind-conductor.

lVhen the bellows I3 is used alone, the windconductor E is closed by theregulator. The bellows B, it may be remarked, can be used simultaneouslywith the air-pump.

I claim as my invention- 1. The air-chamber of an organ, a windconductorcommunicating with said air-chamber and with the external air, anair-pump located in said wind-conductor, and an electric motor operatingsaid air-pump, in combination with a regulator for regulating thevolumetric capacity of the air-passage between said air-chamber and themouth of said wind-conductor, and means controlled by the organist forgoverning said regulator, substantially as set forth.

2. The air-chamber of an organ, a windconductor extending from saidair-chamber to the external air, an air-pump consisting of a suction-fanlocated in said wind-conductor with its suction side toward saidair-chamber, and an electric motor operating said fan, in combinationwith a mechanical regulator consisting of a valve sliding across theairpassage through said wind-conductor, and means controlled by theorganist for moving said valve, substantially as set forth.

The air-chamber of an organ, the mechanical bellows communicating withsaid air-chamber, a wind-conductor communicating with said air-chamberand with the external air, an air-pump located in said windconductor,and an electric motor operating said air-pump, in combination with aregulator for regulating the volumetric capacity of the air-passagebetween said air-chamber and the mouth of said wind-conductor, and meanscontrolled by the organist for governing said regulator, substantiallyas set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

LEVI K. FULLER. lVitnesses:

WALTER ll. Cnrnns, J. E. HALL.

